Watsonville native and Army leader speaks about foreign relations

U.S. Army Major General Edward Cardon, a Watsonville native, spoke at the Rotary Club of Watsonville's weekly meeting Wednesday. (Photo by Jessica M. Pasko/For the Register-Pajaronian)

WATSONVILLE — Much like the old saying goes, it’s important to know your enemies, Major General Edward Cardon told members of the Watsonville Rotary Club Wednesday.

Cardon, a 1978 Watsonville High School graduate, has long served as the commander of the U.S. Army’s storied 2nd Infantry Division in the volatile Korean Peninsula. It’s the last division of the Army stationed outside of the U.S., and it was the first to be founded on foreign soil. It was activated in 1917 in Bourmont, France, during World War I.

“When I took command of the division, I wasn’t sure if we understood North Korea,” he said. “One of the things I learned is you have to understand as much as you can about your enemy or potential enemy.”

Cardon was the guest speaker at the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club, of which his father, Larry Cardon, has been a member for 29 years.